Even if everything functions correctly, it still takes considerable skill by the aircrew to deliver these weapons, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances.

The missiles cannot differentiate between a tank carrying soldiers and a tractor carrying civilians. The military personnel have to make that distinction.

All weapons have parameters - "release conditions" - outside which they are unlikely to hit the intended target.

A laser-guided bomb [1] has to be released at a height, speed and angle that give it a reasonable chance of latching onto the guidance cone of light.

If smart weapons "break lock" [2] losing their fix on the target, they become uncontrollable.

It takes some time from a weapon being released to arrive at the target. If the target is a railway bridge and a train carrying civilians arrives while the missile is in flight, there is nothing the crew can do.